


Valentine's Day

by sorryimfinn



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, Chapter Fic, Crushes, Drama, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Identity Reveal, Probably some angst, Reveal, Romance, Secret Crush, Secret Identity, Superheroes, Teen Angst, Teen Romance, Valentine's Day, chloe is a decent person, i'm not good with tags, it may be slowburn i haven't decided yet, reverse love square, title might change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-15
Updated: 2019-02-28
Packaged: 2019-10-29 03:38:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17800382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sorryimfinn/pseuds/sorryimfinn
Summary: Adrien Agreste has recently developed feelings for his classmate and friend, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Fighting with the inner-turmoil of also being in love with his crime-fighting partner, will these two find their way to each other? Will they find out the truth behind their secret lives? Only time will tell.





	1. The Day Before

  "Happy Valentine's Day, Marinette." Adrien Agreste stood before himself in the mirror, a single red rose delicately placed in between his pointer finger and thumb. He had been practicing this for hours. In fact, he had been practicing for so long, he had already planned on being late to school. Something had changed within Marinette Dupain-Cheng, one of Adrien's closest friends, over the past few months. Or perhaps something had changed inside Adrien. Either way, Marinette's eyes shown a little brighter, her cheeks were a little pinker, and her clumsiness was a whole lot cuter. Each day, Adrien noticed something new about her to admire, and each day, after his long and busy schedule came to an end, he would lay in bed and memorize it until it was burned into his brain.

  This Valentine's Day started off innocently enough. He had made a list of all the things he planned on buying his friends for the holiday:

**Nino: A box of chocolates**  
**Alya: Stationary set**  
**Marinette: Cutesy Valentine's themed fabric**  
**Ladybug: A bouquet of roses**

"Chat..." He recalled Ladybug whispering into the cool Paris night. "You know I can't. You know I-I have feelings for someone else." There was something very... familiar about her demeanor in that moment. All the same, he had swallowed the lump of heartache in his throat, gone home, and realized that maybe it was time to move on. Maybe, just maybe, his feelings for Marinette were more than he had originally assumed. Exploring his newfound feelings for Marinette had been frightening at first. He felt like a small child again. His voice would crack around her, he got sweaty when she sat too close, he ate breath mints like candy each day before chemistry class, where he had her as a lab partner. It was exciting and new. And he was ready for more. Valentine's Day was only a day away, which meant he only had a day to figure out exactly what he was going to do.

  He did plan on telling Ladybug, it felt almost wrong to even consider _not_ telling her. After all, she had been his partner for 3 years now, and you know, he was in love with her. Adrien did a finally finger sweep through his blonde locks before returning the rose to its vase and slinging his backpack up onto his shoulder.

Rushing downstairs, he met Nathalie at the end of the staircase.  
  "You're late," she deadpanned.  
"I know, Nathalie, I'm sorry. I- I overslept this morning." Adrien fumbled as he walked alongside her to the car. She never responded. The short car ride to school was silent. Adrien's eyes darted across the Parisian rooftops, hoping to see that flash of red, but it never came. Instead, as they arrived in front of the school, he saw a flash of pink and black. A flustered Marinette running up to the door, leaving a trail of papers and books behind her. Adrien followed behind, careful to pick up her lost belongings.

  "Marinette!" He called after her. She whipped around, her hair falling delicately near her collarbones.  
"A-Adrien! Hi! Good morning!" She tucked a wild hair behind her ear and Adrien mentally slapped himself for the brief thought of him tucking that hair for her.  
  "Good morning," He was starting to get nervous. It really was a good morning. A morning where he got to speak to Marinette before lunchtime. "I-I picked up your things." Back on track, Agreste.  
"Thank you-" She paused to glance at the watch. "Oh no! I have to go, I'll see you at lunch!" And with that, Adrien's hands were empty and the space where Marinette had stood was now empty. She had left a faint smell of vanilla and Adrien smiled to himself, walking through the doors of the school.

  "You're late, Mr. Agreste." His economics teacher said to the board as he tried to sneak in unnoticed. Defeated, he stopped tiptoeing and made his way to his seat beside his long-time childhood friend, Chloe Bougouis.  
"Look what the cat dragged in." She whispered to him, amusement laced in her words.  
  "Meow," Adrien joked back.

  The rest of his morning went by rather uneventfully. He tried his best to pay attention in class, but his mind often wandered to tomorrow, and to tonight. He had come to the conclusion that before he any further explored his feelings for Marinette, Ladybug had the right to know first. He was torn. He hoped Ladybug would give him her blessing, although he knew he didn't need it. But he also hoped that he would tell her he had feelings for someone else, and she would apologize for never having seen it sooner, and that she was just as in love with him as he was her. He quickly pushed those thoughts to the side. This wasn't about Ladybug anymore, she had already had her chance, and she'd blown it. By the time lunch had rolled around, Adrien had practically come undone in nervousness. He was practicing the conversation in his head, where he tried to ever so casually ask everyone at the table what they were doing for Valentine's Day, knowing full and well Alya and Nino had plans, and thanks to Nino pestering Alya, Marinette did not.

"Yo, Adrien!" Nino threw his arm around his friend's shoulders as soon as he sat down. "We were just talking about Valentine's Day plans!" There goes rehearsal.  
  "Oh, really?" Adrien chuckled nervously. Stay cool, Agreste.  
"Yeah, yeah! We were thinking we could all head out and see a movie together before Alya and I split for our date?" Adrien shot Nino a look that said, 'this was not the plan!' To which Nino replied with shoving his elbow deep within Adrien's rib cage.  
  "And then, after Nino and I leave, you and Marinette could go grab a bite to eat or something." Alya looked up at Adrien from her phone. For a split second, he thought she might know, but he thought better. She was just beautifully unaware of how perfectly this had been set up. All the heavy lifting was already done. It wasn't until now that Adrien caught Marinette's eye. Her face had grown a cute blush across her cheeks and nose, and she looked absolutely flustered, but Adrien didn't pick up on it.

  "Well- what d'ya say, Marinette?" Adrien tried his best to hide his hopefulness and replace it with casualty. Nothing wrong with this; just two friends hanging out on Valentine's Day. Except one of those friends planned on asking that friend if she maybe wanted to be more than friends.  
"Y-yes! I mean, sure, yeah, that'd be cool, or something..." Marinette trailed off awkwardly. Adrien's heart soared. The rest of lunch was spent trying to figure out which movie to see and when.

  When it was finally time for chemistry class, Adrien practically skipped down the halls to his class. He entered the classroom to see Marinette already there, furiously scribbling something down in a notebook. She had tied her hair up to keep it from falling around her face as she kept her head down. Adrien sat down beside her, placing his bag on the table with purpose. Marinette shot up, slapping her notebook closed along with her in one swift movement. Adrien was too focused on how graceful it had been to even worry about whatever she had been writing in the notebook.  
  "Hey, Adrien." She chuckled. "J-just finishing up some homework."  
"Oh no! We had homework?!" Adrien began to panic, unzipping his bag and rustling through. Marinette giggled, causing him to stop.  
  "No! I'm sorry, it's not for this class!" Her giggling turned into a full belly laugh, and Adrien joined along. Their laughter had just barely ceased before a student busted into the classroom.

"Akuma!" He shouted before turning around and running out, presumably to go tell the next group.  
  "Now class- let's not panic-" the teacher began. Too late. Student were already filing out into the hallways, scattering like mice to find a place to hide. Adrien searched in the sea of faces for Marinette before seeing her enter a bathroom. A girl's bathroom. Adrien groaned and weighed the pros and cons of following her in there. Pros outweighed cons.

  "Marinette!" He called as he slowly opened the door. "I'm coming in!"  
"Adrien? What are you doing?" She was in a stall.  
  "Stay in here, please! Don't leave this bathroom." Adrien was covering his eyes, although he knew he wouldn't be able to see anything if he uncovered them. Crisis or no crisis, he _was_ a gentleman.  
"I, uh- wasn't planning on it? You should stay in here too. It's not safe to go back out there!" She called. It wasn't a suggestion, rather than a command. He needed to transform desperately, but he also didn't want to just abandon Marinette here alone. Finally, he uncovered his eyes and moved to a stall a few away from where Marinette's voice had come from.

  "Okay- I'm here. We should be quiet so no one hears us." Perfect coverup to transform without her noticing he was no longer here.   
"Good idea-"

  Adrien unzipped his hoodie and his little black kwami flew out. Adrien held his finger to his lips in a "shush" motion, Plagg rolled his eyes, disapproving of the situation, but got in the ring anyway.


	2. The Akuma Attack

 Marinette was only slightly in panic mode. When she had entered the bathroom to transform, she hadn't counted on being followed by anyone, let alone Adrien Agreste. Relief washed over her after he suggested that they remain silent. It was really a win-win. She knew Adrien was safe, and she still got to transform. She opened her purse, her cute little kwami buzzing around here and there, eager for some action. Marinette pulled her hair up and Tikki did the honors herself, brushing past Marinette's cheek and into her earring. Now it was time to find a way to sneak past the hiding boy a few stalls down.

  She looked around, hoping to find an escape route other than the front door, but found none. Ladybug did her best to hide the sigh that escaped her lips.  _Guess I gotta do this the risky way._ She thought to herself. She slid underneath the door of the stall, doing her best to make no noise. She listened closely for Adrien, but couldn't hear anything. He was good at this. She just hoped she could be better. Ladybug pressed her ear up to the door, listening for the akumatized victim. A loud crash came from outside and she took advantage of the noise to slip out, keeping her volume low. Once out of the bathroom, she looked to her left and then to her right. Chat Noir was already there, running towards her, the akuma victim running closely behind.

  "Run, Ladybug!" He yelled, tail whipping behind him. Upon closer inspection, Ladybug noticed a trail of bugs following in between the two people. Before she had time to react, Chat had swooped her up and she was now hoisted over his shoulder, watching behind him.  
"What is happening?" She called to him, a mess of blonde hair in her face. Chat took, a sharp turn, watching the akuma victim run right past, leaving the two superheroes unnoticed. He chuckled, setting Ladybug down in front of him.  
  "Love bugs, bugaboo." He told her matter-of-factly. Of course. Ladybug had known Valentine's season would be rough and littered with akuma attacks, but she hadn't been entirely sure what to do expect this year.

  The fight came and went as usual. They hadn't had an akuma attack that had really stumped them in quite a few months, which made them feel like Hawkmoth was planning something big, and continued lower scale attacks to make sure they had no time to plan for it.

  "Pound it!" The duo said in unison, bumping their fists. The school had been returned to it's previous state, and the student who had been akumitized was safe and sound.  
"Chat, I gotta go-" Ladybug started, starting to turn around.  
  "Hey-" Chat grabbed her shoulder. "Can I see you tonight please? I need to talk to you." Ladybug nodded, eager to get back to Adrien and make sure he was safe.  
"Yeah, usual spot." A tiny beep sounded in her ear. And with that, they both darted off in different directions.

  She hid behind a wall near the bathroom to detransform. Tikki came out and sat on Marinette's cupped hands. Tikki smiled at Marinette and she was placed back in Marinette's small purse, the promise of cookies welcoming her back. Marinette rushed back into the bathroom, looking underneath the stalls as she came.

  "Marinette?" She jumped at the sound of Adrien's voice from behind her. A small squeak escaped as she whipped around to face him.  
"Where did you go?" She asked, worried sick.  
  "Why aren't you in the stall?" Adrien was panicking. Had she seen him? No, not possible. He was too careful.  
"I- I was looking for you?" Marinette hadn't meant it to sound like a question, but it's how it came out.  
  "I'm sorry, I'm right here- Are you okay?" Adrien made his way closer to her, reaching his hands out to inspect her. Marinette tried to hide the blush that crept onto her face.  
"I'm fine, I promise. Are you?"  
  "Perfect." Marinette made a real effort to not tell him he was.

**

  Marinette had long since given up on the idea that her and Adrien would ever be more than friends. Years of failed attempts to gain his affection had taught her that much. But it didn't stop the butterflies when he looked at her, or the blush when their hands accidentally brushed. And it most certainly didn't stop Alya from getting them alone together every chance she got, if the Valentine's Day plans weren't any indication. Marinette had honestly planned on spending Valentine's Day with Chat Noir. She figured that the akuma attacks would be so consistent, she might as well just stay with him through the day, and she didn't  _hate_ the idea.

  Chat had been consistent with his feelings for her, well for Ladybug, up until recently. Only a few months prior, before Marinette had officially given up on her quest for Adrien, she had told Chat Noir that she couldn't be more than his friend. Ironically, it was that very conversation that made her feel the way she did for him now. The way his mouth smiled but his eyes frowned, the sad peck he placed on her cheek before he left, it all felt too similar for her liking. It's what made Marinette realize maybe Adrien and her should just be friends. But after that night, Chat was different. He didn't want to hang out after akuma attacks, he didn't call her pet names, or bring her random wildflowers that he had picked on the way over. She didn't blame him, but a part of her, a small  _small_ part, missed it.

  Now, she had a "date" with Adrien Agreste. And she couldn't help but feel a tad bit guilty. She felt like maybe Chat should know, but she didn't want him to feel like she was rubbing it in his face that she finally had a date with the very guy she had rejected him for  _years_ for. At the same time, what was there for Chat to know? That she would be spending Valentine's Day with a  _friend_ on a "date" that was set up by her best friend? It didn't feel newsworthy to Marinette. Either way, when she arrived home from school, she sat at her desk and took out the same journal she had been writing in earlier that day in chemistry before the akuma attack.

 _I really don't know what the right thing to do here would be. It'd be awful to tell Chat Noir my feelings after all this time has past and he's had time to heal from what I've put him through. Is it even feelings that I have or am I just looking for something new now that Adrien is out? Is Adrien even_ out  _though? The way he looked at me at lunch today... it doesn't feel like that whole chapter is over yet. Besides, Chat Noir and I are such good friends._ Friends. _But so are Adrien and I... Oh, the irony. I can't help but feel this date with Adrien tomorrow might be more than just our friends hanging out. I think it's a double date, and I think Adrien knows and is okay with that.  Why would he be okay with tha-_

  That's when Adrien had sat down and startled Marinette out of her thoughts. Marinette looked at the clock. It was already 7 o clock. Chat Noir would be waiting for her on the Eifle Tower by now, she needed to get going. Tikki looked at Marinette from where she sat on the desk.

  "I know you'll do what's right, Marinette." Tikki beamed at her. Marinette smiled widely at the kwami. She was so good with encouragement. She took a deep breath and stood from her seat.  
"Tikki, spots on!" And soon after that, Ladybug made her way through the cool Parisian night towards Chat Noir, her heart hammering the whole way.


	3. Confessions (Part 1)

"Ladybug?" Chat Noir turned around to see his crime-fighting companion walking towards him. She was so fluent in her movements, he couldn't quite pick up on how nervous she was. She didn't know what this was about, and her nerves were getting the best of her, even as calm, cool, and collected Ladybug.  
"Hey, Chat. What's up?" She sat next to him on the railing of the tower, careful to keep a comfortable distance.  
  "I don't really know how to say this." She hadn't seen Chat this... upset in awhile. She placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.  
"It's okay, I'm listening." She said, barely above a whisper. "Just say it." Despite her calm tone, her mind was going a mile a minute. Her first thought was that he was leaving Paris. She didn't know much about his personal life, but she knew more than he did about her, and what little she did know, it left her with an almost constant fear he'd vanish one day, only to be replaced with a new Chat Noir.

  "Ladybug... I have a crush on someone. Someone... else." Relief and heartache washed over Ladybug. He wouldn't look at her. She inhaled sharply, looking to choose her next words very carefully.  
"I'm.... happy for you." She told him. Not a lie. Finally, Chat looked up at her, probably looking for any hint of emotion on her face. "No, Chat- I- I am. You deserve that. You deserve someone who reciprocates your feelings." Also not a lie. However, Ladybug did fail to mention that she thought she may also now reciprocate his feelings, or at least his old feelings.  
  Chat smiled sadly. "Yeah... I just don't know if she  _does_  reciprocate those feelings. We're hanging out tomorrow, but- I don't know if we're calling it a date or if I'm reading too much into it, but-" His words were caught on a lump in his throat.  
"Hey-" Ladybug started, scooting herself closer to him. "I may not know much about the you behind the mask, but I do know that any girl would be lucky to have you." Chat snorted.  
  "Trust me, Ladybug, you know a whole lot more than you think." This made her smile. She liked the idea that she knew him without really knowing  _him_. They both turned their heads and looked at each other. Chat couldn't help getting lost her round blue eyes, as if this were going to be his last chance. Her eyes felt familiar and soft and warm. They almost reminded him of Marinette, and his thoughts cleared and he shook his head, turning away from Ladybug. She cleared her throat in response.

  "I- sorry, sorry. I don't know what that was." Chat apologized, no longer making eye contact with Ladybug, but instead speaking to the wide open space in front of them. Ladybug shook her head.  
"Don't apologize." It was her turn to look away now. "Can I tell you something? Something without it affecting the way things are right now?" Chat turned back to her, his full attention on her current words. He nodded fiercely enough for her to feel it without looking at him. "I don't mean to ruin this, I promise, but in light of Valentine's Day, I feel like I need to get this off my chest." Now it was Chat's turn to start panicking. He could feel the confession coming, and no matter how many times he had fantasized about this over the past 3 years, no amount of fantasizing could've prepared him for how absolutely disappointed he felt right now. He almost felt like he was letting Marinette and his feelings for her down by even entertaining whatever Ladybug was about to tell him.

Ladybug chose her words carefully, digging deep in her heart to figure out exactly how she felt before she spilt everything out to her friend.  
  "I'm really happy for you, Chat." She began, looking to be as truthful as she possibly could. All these years and Ladybug had never really gotten the chance to be entirely honest with him. Not about Adrien, not about herself. The absolute least she could do would be to tell him the truth about how she felt about him.  
  "You're one of my best friends, and out of everyone in Paris I got to do this with, I'm really glad it was with you. I love you, not in the same way you do, or did- but I do. And I hope that whoever this girl is, she appreciates your undeniable, cheesy charm more than I did."

  This made Chat happier than he'd felt in a very long time. Hearing Ladybug say she loved him meant so much, even if it wasn't how he had imagined it all those years ago. He knew he didn't need her approval of his crush on Marinette, he appreciated her support all the same.

  "I  _knew_ you thought I was charming, m'lady." He smirked as he delicately kissed her hand. She would never live this down and she knew it.  
"I have another confession." Ladybug started and now she couldn't stop. It felt so good to let all these things out, she couldn't help it. Chat was still all ears. "That boy I have feelings for... I'm starting to feel like he may have feelings for me too." Chat looked taken aback. "What?" Ladybug asked, "Why do you look surprised?"

  "I didn't know he didn't  _already_ have feelings for you. I guess- I guess I had just assumed everyone saw you like I did." He used past tense without really meaning to. Ladybug deflated, as she noticed it too. She laughed it off.  
"Absolutely not. My civilian self isn't nearly as great as Ladybug. I'm so... average." She sighed, suddenly regretting even speaking Adrien's plausible feelings for her into existence. Now it was Chat's turn to laugh.  
  "If you were so average, then guess what. That's exactly what Ladybug would be, but you're not. You're just as awesome out of the suit as you are in it. If you weren't, Ladybug wouldn't be nearly as fun as she is." He playfully punched her shoulder. His words meant a lot to her. She still didn't quite believe it, but it was still nice to hear.

  The two superheroes sat upon the railing of the Eifle Tower, laughing and sharing jokes. Ladybug had missed this; then talking about their days, looking over Paris with watchful eyes. They sat there for God only knows how long before Chat slid off the railing, stretching behind Ladybug before she followed suit.

  "It must be getting late-" He said, almost regretfully. He didn't want it to end anymore than she did. But they knew tomorrow would be a big day for both of them and they'd need the rest tonight.  
"Yeah-" Ladybug agreed, fiddling with her earring subconsciously, ready to detransform.  
  "I know we've already had secret-sharing time, but- I wanna tell you something I haven't said out loud yet. Not even to myself." Ladybug's interest was peaked, and Chat Noir's nerves were high. He took a deep breath before continuing: "I feel like you remind me a lot of that girl I like. And that's how I know you have to be just as great beneath the suit." Ladybug smiled, and the heroes went their separate ways home.

  Adrien felt his transformation melt around him in front of his bedroom window and he sighed happily. And it was true. Ladybug really did remind him a lot of Marinette. Brave, resourceful Ladybug, and sweet, innocent Marinette. Adrien thought of the two of them meeting each other and being great friends as he drifted off to sleep, his anxieties about tomorrow pushed far, far into the back of his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the amount of IRONY in this chapter is rich. love that. also a lot of dialogue, which i'm not a fan of writing. but p L O T


	4. According To Plan

Adrien didn't know how long his alarm had been going off once he finally woke up. He awoke to Plagg angrily tapping on his face.

"Turn. It. Off." The kwami demanded before flying back to his little area of the room. Adrien groaned and rolled over and turned of the blaring noise coming from his phone. He squinted around his sleepiness to see a series of texts from Nino.

 

 **it's** **the** **big** **day** , **kiddo**

**my little boy is growing up**

**i'm so proud** **of** **you**

**adrien wake up**

**ADRIEN**

**looks**   **like i’m gonna have to find a new date for** **marinette**

**you got any cute guy’s numbers?**

**maybe some model friends?**

**or maybe alya and i will just swoop her under our wings**

 

  Adrien rolled his eyes hard. There was still a decent few hours left of primp and prep time for Adrien to ready himself for what he'd been planning for a week now.

 

**I’m awake, calm down.**

**Are you already with Alya?**

 

**were at marinettes. she and alya got gifts for each other**

**hah gay i would never do that for you**

**jk pls come get your gift**

 

**Um, our plans weren’t for another couple hours? I still need to shower.**

 

**well you better hurry. marinettes looking like a SNACC**

**alya told me to say that**

_**(1 picture Attachment)** _

 

Adrien clicked on the picture. It was a candid picture of Marinette, speaking with her father. She was wearing a very cute baby pink sundress with a white bow tied around in the back. Her black locks were held back in a braid that fell in between her shoulder blades. Adrien could see a faint gloss on her lips. Adrien's nerves hit him in the stomach hard. He suddenly very much felt like he couldn't do this. It was too late to back out now. After all, he'd already discarded her original gift and bought the flowers.

 

  Nino wanted him there as soon as possible, but Adrien felt like he needed more time to prepare. He hadn't anticipated just how nervous he'd be. Marinette was so kind and sweet, but he couldn't help but feel like she may laugh in his face. Then his conversation with Ladybug replayed in his head. "Any girl would be lucky to have you." Adrien smiled. If Ladybug thought so, it might just be true.

 

  With his newfound confidence, Adrien hopped out of bed and practically raced to the shower in record time. Once he was out, he got dressed, took an uncomfortable amount of time doing his hair, shoved Plagg in his jacket, and raced down the stairs, only to be stopped by Nathalie, who was coming from his father's office.

 

  "Where are you going?" She asked, not looking up from her tablet.

"I had plans with my friends today, remember?" He didn't mean to sound so exasperated, but he did. It was now that Nathalie looked up, seeing the bouquet of flowers in his hand and the two other bags tucked under his finger.

  "Right..." She trailed off. "Be home by curfew."

"Always am!" Adrien called behind him as he went the rest of the way to the door. Now it was Plagg's turn to come out and say something.

 

  "What if she's allergic to flowers?" He almost laughed. Adrien paid no mind to his teasing.

"I've known Marinette a long time, if she was allergic to flowers, I'd know." And that was true. Adrien knew quite a bit about his friend. He knew her favorite school subjects, her favorite time of day, her favorite color, her favorite foods and candies. However, what he didn't know about her was why in the world she was spending Valentine's Day on a "friend's date", when the line of people who wanted to ask her out was a mile long.

 

  It didn't take long before Adrien walked right in front of Marinette's parents' bakery. The smell of cakes and cookies hit his nose and made him almost regret not eating breakfast.

 

**here**

 

  Nino didn't respond, instead, Adrien could see his three friends coming towards the door through the glass. Alya opened the door as Nino held his arms out for a hug, which Adrien accepted.

  "You could've just came in." Marinette smiled from beside them. Her voice made Adrien's heart clench and he caught her eye for a few seconds, but it felt like much longer. He chuckled, reluctantly breaking the eye contact.

 

“You brought presents!” Alya exclaimed, filling the uncomfortable silence with her optimism. She grabbed the two bags from Adrien’s hands, leaving the bouquet still tucked between his thumb and index finger. While Nino and Alya stepped aside to open their bags, Adrien took the opportunity to turn to Marinette. He held the flowers up, and Marinette took in how he was more or less the same color as the roses between them.

“Are these for me?” She asked, gingerly reaching up to grab them. Adrien nodded, stretching his arm behind his head to ruffle his hair. Marinette smiled warmly. It was refreshing for her to see Adrien just as nervous as she had been all those years. They could feel their onlooking friends stares burning into them, and Adrien had to focus on his hands not shaking. Marinette buried her face in the petals and inhaled softly, causing Adrien to almost audibly gasp. She looked up at him from the flowers, her eyes shining beneath her eyelashes.

“Thank you. I love them.” She said finally. Adrien felt so relieved. All the nerves he had previously built up faded away quickly.

“I’m glad you like them.” He chuckled, trying to regain whatever chill he still had. Then Marinette did the unthinkable. She giggled, leaned up on her tippy toes, and planted a glossy, strawberry-scented kiss right on Adrien’s cheek. He could feel all the blood immediately rush to his face and he felt very warm. Before he even had much time to react, Marinette pulled back suddenly, almost jerking backwards.

 

She didn’t apologize or stumble over her words after that. She just kind of turned away and began talking to Alya. Adrien wasn’t quite done processing when Nino nudged him lightly, pulling him from his train of thought, which consisted mostly of Marinette’s lips against his flushed cheek. Nino gave him a look that said ‘you good?’ and Adrien shook his head. He was more than good, but at the same time, not good at all. He felt like he was flying, but he also felt the nausea that came along with that.

 

Adrien thought he had been prepared for what the day had in store for him, but he hadn’t quite prepared himself for what would happen if Marinette also had her own plans.

“Right...” Alya started, turning back to the boys. “The movie doesn’t start for another couple hours, how about we go back up to Marinette’s room and hang out till then?” She grabbed Nino’s arm and shot a pointed glance at Adrien. Without any protest, the four teens made their way upstairs, and Adrien desperately tried to regain control of his thoughts, but as he looked over at Marinette, who returned his eye contact and was softly chewing on her bottom lip, he realized that today would go a lot differently than he had originally planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m posting this on mobile so if it looks funny, that’s why, and I will try to remember to fix it when I get home rip


End file.
